Ran HaCohen

Dr.
Ran HaCohen was born in the Netherlands in 1964 and grew up in Israel.
He has a B.A. in computer science, an M.A. in comparative literature,
and a Ph.D. in Jewish studies. He is a university teacher in
Israel. He also works as a literary translator (from German, English,
and Dutch). HaCohen's work has been published widely in Israel.
"Letter From Israel" appears occasionally at Antiwar.com.

By acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Trump has demonstrated a genuinely deep historical insight. Even if Israel itself had claimed any other city as its capital – be it Tel-Aviv, where Israel’s declaration of independence took place in 1948; or Hebron, where once Abraham bought a graveyard, and where nowadays a few hundred Jewish … Continue reading “Jerusalem, the Capital of Apartheid”

For decades, much of the political struggle within Israel could be traced back to the fundamental conflict anchored in its Janus-faced self-definition – coined in the 1980s and legally formalized in 1992 – as a “Jewish and democratic” state. While centrist politicians have always emphasized the harmony of these two sets of values, the political … Continue reading “Israel: Neither Democratic or Jewish”

Many years ago, Haim Hefer produced a Hebrew adaptation of Norman Byfield Thomas’ “Naughty Little Flea“, depicting an ambitious young flea who, born in the hair of a lousy mouse, kept leaping up from dog to donkey to horse, paving its way all the way up to Cabinet. “Always be a yes-man,” stated the song’s … Continue reading “Peres’ Disputed Funeral”

Once again, war atmosphere in Israel. In television day and night nothing but Palestinians stabbing, hurling, burning; current footage is recycled ad nauseam, and, a second before vomiting, reminders from previous Intifadas are aired, to place the present event in the right historical context. As the fruit juice seller told me, "It has always been … Continue reading “What Israel Is Up To in Jerusalem”

The Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights is now 47 years old. Two generations of Israelis have grown up, matured and been educated in a country depriving millions of their political rights. In Israel’s political leadership, settlers residing in the Occupied Territories and recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union … Continue reading “Yet Another War of Deceit”

Purim. One of the most popular Jewish holidays among Orthodox, traditional and so-called secular Jewish Israelis alike. The streets are packed with children and adults wearing costumes, make-up and all sorts of masquerading, on their way from one joyous Purim party to the next. Happy days. But behind the carnivalesque masks, ominous demons are lurking. … Continue reading “Purim and Genocidal Phantasies”

If Ahmadinejad didn’t exist, Israel would invent him. Thanks to Israel’s gangster rhetoric of “hold me or I shoot,” international attention is focused on the brutal Muslim dictatorship in Iran, allowing Israel to quietly transform itself into a brutal Jewish dictatorship. Israel’s rollback of democracy is progressing on a daily basis: Netanyahu conducts a fascist, … Continue reading “Israel Between Eritrea and Iran”

The “race riots” in Tel Aviv last week — a mass demonstration that turned into a pogrom against about 60,000 asylum seekers, an overwhelming majority of them from Eritrea, the rest mostly from Sudan (Darfur and South Sudan) and a few other African countries — gives a revealing glimpse into Israeli realities under the current … Continue reading “Tel Aviv ‘Race Riots’ Reveal Much About Israel”

As a humble columnist, I am puzzled. I have been writing on Israeli realities for a decade, and I find writing ever more difficult: nothing changes. How often can you write something different about the same things? The international media, on the other hand, has had no difficulty filling pages and screens, making the very … Continue reading “Israelis Sick and Tired – but of What?”